Meet Deputy Principal Michele Wakeham

IT WAS a case of déjà vu when Deputy Principal Mrs Michele Wakeham started at Gippsland Grammar at the start of Term 3. In a very similar vein to when Principal Leisa Harper started at Gippsland Grammar on what was to be the School’s first ever day of remote learning last March, Mrs Wakeham managed just four days on-site before she also transitioned into Learn@Home.

One term and three occasions of Learn@Home later, Mrs Wakeham is philosophical about familiarising herself with a new school and a new home while in lockdown.

“It has been hard not being able to develop the relationships I would like,” Mrs Wakeham admits. “Not to mention needing to implement things from a keyboard. But I have relished small opportunities to interact with students, such as participating in online Chapel services, speaking at the Garnsey assembly and reading to junior school students during Book Week. And I have managed to get to know a small handful of staff really well, which has been great. “That being said, I certainly look forward to the opportunity for face-to-face interaction and to visit classrooms when we are all back on-site.”

Mrs Wakeham began her teaching career more than 20 years ago and joins Gippsland Grammar from Trinity Grammar School in Kew where she was the Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning. Prior to that Mrs Wakeham was Head of Mathematics Geelong Grammar School for five years. While Mrs Wakeham does not currently carry a teaching load at Gippsland Grammar, she is qualified to teach Mathematics, Information Technology and Computing and Religious/Christian Education.

Mrs Wakeham managed to meet some teachers face-to-face in her first few days on-site before she transitioned into Learn@Home at the end of the first week of term.

Mrs Wakeham admits she was drawn to a teaching career from a young age and aside from a brief flirtation with astrophysics (“This was until I realised that I would spend much of my observation and data processing time in isolation. I love talking and being around people so I came back to teaching the subjects I had a passion for.”), teaching, has always been her professional passion.

“Moving into leadership has been an ongoing organic journey for me,” Mrs Wakeham said. “It’s made me realise I have more to offer in making educational experiences for students and teachers more exciting and enriching, I have found a calling in a position to make this happen.” When asked to reflect on some of her professional highlights, Mrs Wakeham pauses before drawing on a number of experiences.

“Predominantly working in the independent school sector has afforded me the opportunity to share a ‘whole person’ educational journey with my students,” she said. “I have enjoyed coaching basketball and athletics and I have had wonderful, shared travel experiences with students; the ultimate highlights being the completion of the Kokoda Trail and the STEM tour in California that I formulated for senior students at Geelong Grammar School.

“And my achievements in the classroom have certainly enriched my experience immensely. I’ve enjoyed seeing students achieve wonderful results in both the IB and VCE courses I have taught. I’ve overseen the development of a comprehensive Mathematics transition program for students from Years 5 to 8 and I’ve also overseen the creation of a STEM program across the faculties of Science, Mathematics, Design Technology and Commerce.”

Mrs Wakeham with Head of VCE Judy Taylor discuss the School’s remote learning program.

Mrs Wakeham is joined at Gippsland Grammar with her husband Laurie, who is the School’s new Head Groundsperson and their three children Trystan, 9, Rhys, 7, and Bryn, 5, who are all enjoying life at St Anne’s. Mrs Wakeham’s father Don also lives with the family, as do their three pets: dogs Inu and Dewi and cockatiel, Argy.

Mrs Wakeham grew up in Melbourne’s south and has predominantly worked in Melbourne schools but said a move to Gippsland felt like a natural progression for her family.

Mrs Wakeham with husband Laurie and sons Rhys, Trystan and Bryn get into the spirit of the House Cross Country during Learn@Home.

“My father was originally from Gippsland and I have much of my extended family living in regional Victoria,” she said. “And to be honest, I have always been quite envious of their environment. Our five-year stint in Geelong brought us a little further out of the city and, after moving back to Melbourne, we realised that a move further out would suit us perfectly.

“I have always looked at Gippsland Grammar with fondness from afar and when this opportunity presented itself, I could not have been more certain that it was the right move.”

The first opportunity Mrs Wakeham had to introduce herself to the Bairnsdale Campus was during Book Week when she dressed up as Silky the Pixie and read to students via Zoom. Mrs Wakeham with husband Laurie and sons Rhys, Trystan and Bryn get into the spirit of the House Cross Country during Learn@Home.

MRS WAKEHAM’S FAVOURITE:

TV SHOW:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (please don’t judge!).

AUTHOR:

J.R.R. Tolkien.

MOVIE:

The Last of the Mohicans or The Mission (both have fabulous soundtracks!).

COFFEE: Veneziano.

FOOTBALL TEAM:

Carlton, there’s a lot going on there at the moment.

HOBBIES:

Reading. Art and craft. Taekwondo.

TRAVEL DESTINATION:

Thailand for its fabulous scuba opportunities and it’s where we were married; and I like to think of Japan as my second home.

CUISINE:

Japanese, my favourite dish is agedashi tofu (deep-fried blocks of tofu in a savory dashi sauce).

FAMILY RECIPE:

Chicken pesto pasta. I also now make my own ice cream; however the kids usually eat it before I can get to it myself.

KARAOKE SONG:

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia. Or if I am in Japan, Sakuranbo by Ai Otsuka.

ITEM TO COLLECT:

I have a collection of hundreds of bookmarks from everywhere I have travelled.